Chef shuffle: Daniel Southern leaves Melbourne Pub Group

It is back to the drawing board for Melbourne Pub Group. Daniel Southern, who was appointed executive chef of the Prince in St Kilda at the beginning of March, has quit and is keeping schtum about his next move.

MPG director Tom Walker says Southern's swift departure was motivated by a desire for a kitchen-based position over an admin job.

They will have "a bit of a look and see", Walker says, but they're "not in a rush to fill the role".

Circa head chef Rhys Blakely remains at the pans, as does Acland Street Cantina and POW Kitchen head chef Daniel Hawkins.

Southern was brought in to replace Stephen Burke, who left MPG to become executive chef at Sand Hill Road, overseeing its forthcoming Garden State Hotel development in Flinders Lane before leaving barely a month later – his replacement will soon be announced and the hotel is expected to open mid-July.

Chef Timothy Martin (ex-Woody P and the European) becomes executive chef at The Cut at The Alfred; the Urban Purveyor Group's steakhouse redevelopment of the former Stokehouse City site.

The Cut will occupy the top level while the ground floor becomes a casual pizza joint care of new UPG acquisition, Sydney's Fratelli Fresh, the first of many planned Melbourne venues. ETA mid-June.